After the flood, Genesis Fitness in Jindalee gets back to business – bigger and better than ever
17 October 2011
It was Tuesday, 11 January 2011, in the Brisbane city suburb of Jindalee. The Brisbane River had been swelling for days, and was threatening to flood the city.
As the river finally broke its banks, the staff at Genesis Fitness Centre in Sinnamon Road knew they had to evacuate. They decided they had better relocate the 21 new treadmills that had been delivered that day to the second floor of their gym, where they would be safe.
Little did they know that the flood would be one of the worst in the city’s history. 24 hours later, the first floor, the second floor, and almost half of the third floor of their establishment were underwater – along with all their new equipment.
“It was one of those things you wouldn’t imagine in your worst nightmares,” says General Manager of Genesis Jindalee, Anthony Ikin.
“Most of our staff live right in the nearby areas and had families that needed to be evacuated. We just got out of there and hoped for the best.”
It quickly became evident that the damage was going to be substantial. Anthony’s parents’ two-storey house, which is not far from the gym, was completely submerged in the flood waters. They, like Genesis Jindalee and so many other Brisbane businesses, lost everything.
Three days after the flood, the waters had subsided enough for Anthony and his staff to get back inside the building and survey the damage. The scene that met them was unforgettable.
“There was mud and silt everywhere, along with a horrible smell,” says Anthony. “But the building itself was still standing and the walls were fine, so we just had to start the big clean up, along with everyone else.”
While many businesses in Brisbane simply didn’t survive the flood, Anthony and his staff decided they were going to work hard and get the gym back up and running. After all, they had 2,000 loyal members, many of whom were pitching in to help with the clean up.
“We knew we wanted to rebuild things bigger and better than how they were before. Thanks to our fantastic staff and our extended team, which includes Debitsuccess, we’re making that a reality,” says Anthony.
Immediately after the flood hit, Genesis Jindalee put all their members’ accounts on suspension, with help from Debitsuccess.
“Our business development manager, Jason, was in communication with us throughout this time and kept us up to date with all the administration they were managing. 90 per cent of our clients pay via Debitsuccess’ direct debit service. It was reassuring to know that our direct debit customers’ information was safely backed up in case we needed to access it.”
Although most of the Genesis Jindalee computers couldn’t be saved, they were fortunate enough to rescue their main server, with all of their clients’ membership details intact. Because the gym uses Clubware, they were able to keep their clients updated remotely via the software’s email and SMS functions.
The Clubware Correspondence and Mail Merge feature includes a suite of correspondence tools, which allow health club owners and managers to stay in touch with their members whether individually or en masse. Customised communications can be sent instantly through e-mail or SMS.
Just 79 days after they were flooded, Genesis Jindalee opened again for business with a newly designed facility that is again serving the fitness needs of the Jindalee suburb.
“Debitsuccess were awesome. They provided so much support throughout the whole time we were getting back on our feet. They really went above and beyond the call to help us,” says Anthony.
For more information about how Debitsuccess can help your business succeed with customer payment solutions and administration, visit www.debitsuccess.com.au or call 1300 305 011.